NACC Part Three [My Complaint]

I didn't forget about my final installment about the NACC, I was just waiting to see how it all played out. See, while I thoroughly enjoyed the week, something didn't sit well with me. Instead of keeping it to myself, I felt obligated to send an email to some people "in charge" of this and future conventions.

Before the Friday night session, embattled Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher was invited to read Scripture. Fletcher is not affiliated with any branch of the Restoration Movement but was, at one time, a Baptist minister. He was introduced by the lovable Wayne Smith, formerly of Southland Christian Church in Lexington; from the stage Wayne basically endorsed his reelection campaign.

I should note that earlier in the week, the deputy mayor of Louisville read Scripture, but he is a member of a local non-instrumental Church of Christ, the very churches we were talking about unity with. I saw the two incidents as different. I could explain that better.

But I think my email best describes my feelings:

Gentlemen,

The NACC is one of my favorite events. I have had the privilege of attending 16 North Americans in my life, some while a child, others as a student, and now as a minister. I value greatly our movement and long to see the continued spread of Restoration principles throughout churches worldwide.

While I enjoyed much about the past week in Louisville, from the great preaching to the incredible reaction to the call for unity, there was something that bothered me. I was hesitant to voice my opinion considering there's no shortage of criticism of the NACC; I'm leery of being branded as a negative soul, so I considered not even sending this. Yet I feel compelled to say this as someone from the next generation who is striving for unity in his own context. So as an advocate of the convention, and as a friend, I pray that you take my words as nothing more than constructive criticism.

I found the decision to allow Governor Ernie Fletcher to read Scripture before the Wednesday night sermon disturbing. My opinion of this incident has nothing to do with the Governor's current political situation but is focused on the message that his appearance sent.

On Thursday, the Louisville Courier Journal ran an article entitled "Christian Convention Welcomes Fletcher." It was the only story the paper ran about the convention during our time there. For an average reader unfamiliar with our convention or fellowship, the message of unity was overshadowed by the celebrity appearance of a politician. While we understand this wasn't an endorsement in any way, it could easily be misconstrued as such by an unknowledgable public; most church conventions that invite a politician to speak usually wish to identify themselves with that person's political values. Of course, this isn't the kind of message the NACC wants to portray (I assume), but that's what it appears to be.

Also, I understand that Wayne Smith's comments are not necessarily those of the NACC, but they can be easily misinterpreted as such. In our world of highly-charged political discussions, the ramifications of this appearance should have been thought out in advance by the stewards of the convention. Was Fletcher's appearance necessary to make the convention better? No. Are we seeking validation to make our message viable? I hope not. So I find myself struggling to find the positives here.

My church is located in urban Cincinnati. The majority of my community is socially liberal and votes Democrat. These are people our Restoration Movement churches have struggled to reach with the gospel. We're doing our best to teach them about the love of Jesus. If they heard about this Fletcher appearance at the NACC and then discovered our church's affiliation with the convention, it could provide an unnecessary stumbling block in their path and hurt their chances of responding to our message. You might think this a stretch, but it's true.

In two years, when the NACC returns to Cincinnati, I plan on encouraging my congregation to attend and will use it as an opportunity to explain where our church/theology came from. I'm proud of the NACC, our heritage, and our plea. I would be saddened if a dispensable political appearance drowned out our preaching.

I sincerely appreciate all you do to make this convention a success. And I believe your intentions were noble and not malicious. But if allowing local elected officials to take the NACC stage to speak is an accepted precedent, it should definitely be reconsidered. May God bless you as you continue to serve in His Kingdom.

Blessings, Steve Carr

Half the people that I contacted responded to the email, all agreeing with my concerns and promising to see that this kind of thing doesn't happen again. I should add that I was corrected by one of the respondents: the Louisville Courier Journal did print another article [released after I had left town] concerning the unity efforts of the convention.

So now I've officially wrapped up all my lose ends about the North American. You can view the other posts here and here.

Help Echo Church

This article in Leadership Journal is a sad indictment on the state of the American church. Like never before we have the opportunity to reach people around the globe but we're neglecting to wield the most powerful weapon in our arsenal: Prayer.

When we started Echo, we made a commitment to making prayer a foundation of our church. We usually meet on Wednesday nights in order to lift up our city before God in prayer.

As we approach our relaunch, we're trying to get a group of people praying for Echo and the desired expansion of our ministry. Beginning Saturday July 8th, this time of petition will last four weeks culminating in a prayer service during our Sunday gathering on August 6th.

We're asking for people like you to join is in four weeks of prayer for our church, our community, and our mission. As we seek 100 prayer partners, there are three things we need from you:

1) Email us at info@echochurch.org to confirm that you will be praying with us. 2) Refer to this site: http://agentemily.googlepages.com/home, our prayer webpage. 3) Forward this request to people who would be interested in joining our prayer time.

With God all things are possible, so we're giving it up to Him.

Please join us.

Superstar!

Rockstar, the summer show where a band does American Idol to find a frontman to their group, is back. INXS was good. They had some great tunes and were always cordial to the contestants. And they ended up picking out a great replacement for the very talented Michael Hutchinson. I even downloaded their single "Pretty Vegas" on iTunes.

Supernova, however, will be way better.

Tommy Lee is classic. Jason Newsted [Metallica] is well known for speaking exactly what's on his mind. And I was a big Guns N Roses fan but had no idea who Gilby Clarke was. Two out of three ain't bad.

Note for interested viewers: ignore the women. There's no way in Hades that these guys are picking a chick to front their band.

And Dilana scares me.

The Beginning Of The End

It might not be as impactful as July 4th, but July 1st might end up being a benchmark date for the future of the evangelical church in the United States. Last Saturday night Gene Appel, a glorious son of the Restoration Movement and lead pastor at Willow Creek Community Church, announced that Willow is eliminating Axis, their "Generation X" worship service. Why is this important? Because no matter how hard we want to deny it, as goes Willow Creek so goes the majority of cutting edge/hip churches in the country.

Willow Creek started their Axis service in 1995 with the intention of attracting an ever-dwindling group of twenty-somethings. It originally proved to be a successful model and was emulated at churches around the country. The two main reasons cited for pulling the plug was 1) the change that Axis had on the church as a whole, blurring the worship differences thus eliminating the need for Axis and 2) the desire for the church to reclaim an intergenerational focus.

Dan Kimball, author of Emerging Worship, is surprised this didn't happen long ago. He cited the difference between generational and worldview differences as to why Axis met its demise: "But when these new worship gatherings within a church are only generational and not considering the worldview changes - what mainly happens is that they then cater to those who grew up in that church or another church. People come to where they have better music, cooler environment and be around people their age and can do the healthy single flirt with others. Because of the power structure, they report to the senior pastor or Executive Pastor at a church. To some degree, and I say this with respect, it is somewhat of a glorified youth ministry in most cases. So these are generational changes and catering ministry to a generational change. However, if the changes in culture are bigger than that though - then it is absurd to think that creating a different aesthetic environment and changing the music is really being missional."

A few of my thoughts about all this. First, I would say that one thing I really appreciate about Willow is their willingness to admit when something needs to change. Instead of holding onto to something for the sake of "being right," they have no qualms about questioning everything they do in order to accomplish their mission. If more churches were honest about their mistakes, I imagine the Kingdom as a whole would benefit. But I'm not holding my breath waiting for this to happen.

Second, I think this reinforces the idea that we need many different churches [new churches at that] in order to reach people of different worldviews. Cincinnati is a great example of this as different neighborhoods have different worldviews. Instead of churches that meet everyone's needs, we need to improve at being missional. Sure, I'd love for Echo to be a place that could reach out to every kind of person, but it's just not going to happen. I have to be willing to be honest about our church and not fear when people don't click with the way we do ministry.

Finally, I really believe that intergenerational ministry is where it's at. I know there are young guys like me out there starting churches because they're ticked-off at the old ways of doing things. Because of this, our churches are beginning to be social clubs for people of like backgrounds. I recently heard one church planting "expert" who asserted that the church planter can best reach out to people who are just like him. If this is true, then the power of the gospel is neutered. A Biblical church should have people of various backgrounds that are drawn to gather together because of Jesus. I'd love to have older people be a part of Echo.

All this might not seem like much to you but, trust me, it's more significant than you realize.

Don't Let It End

So back to the Styx concert. For the first time ever we left Kaelyn with non-family as we went out for the night . . . well, if you don't count the three weeks when she was in the NICU it was the first time ever. Ed and Sheryl offered to watch her [THANKS AGAIN, GUYS!] so Kelly, Larry and I met up with Tim at Corwin Nixon Park and found a good place to watch the concert.

Spending three years in Mason gave me a good community sense, so I feel I can authoritatively offer that it was a good mixture of residents and non-residents alike. Masonic influence was present as people instinctively lined up their lawn chairs in meticulously ordered rows without being directed. But the non-Mason goyim were there as well, identifiable by their denim cut-off shorts and fishing coolers lined with beer. Yes, friends, you could sense a good time was to be had by all.

It was great to run into some people from Christ's Church who were there. The crowd was so large, there were probably some there we didn't get to see. I'll bet the seniors group was somewhere near the front, showing some skin in the hope of getting called backstage.

Beyond the actual concert, the city did well to be as lame as possible. The "opening act" was selected individuals singing the same patriotic songs in different forms. Then the city officials felt obligated to milk the opportunity for some free face time. I will say that the mayor's remarks were so laughable I'm not going to repeat them here suffice to say that, according to her, I think Styx won our freedom from the British.

And then the band played.

The band opened with "Blue Collar Man" which I found ironic since the city is rather white collar. A quick transition to "Grand Illusion" and, before I knew it, we were singing the tribute to my niece. Of course, they finally decided to play the notorious "Obscure Song From The First Album That No One Knows Except Die-Hard Fans." I looked around the crowd, wondering if anyone was familiar with the song, and I saw him. "He" was the ultimate Styx fan. I was impressed. Very impressed, in fact. I'm just saying that he knew the verses to songs the band didn't even remember. I had to take a photograph of him so Tim and Larry parted the waters so I could snap this:

It wasn't a good pic, but something to remember him by. He was absolutely amazing. I shall never forget him and his devotion to Styx-ism.

The ninety minutes flew by. Before we knew it, it was over. But we didn't go far, knowing that an encore was in store. There was but one song that remained. A little "Renegade" to serenade us home. They did not disappoint. Oh mama, they brought it home.

As we walked away, the fireworks exploding above our heads was the exclamation point on the perfect night. We rocked out friends. And freedom rang.

For a little more, refer to this post or gaze longingly at this picture:

Happy Birthday, America!

Isn't it sad that after 230 years of freedom and progress a small Japanese man named Kobayashi owns us in our greatest sport?

I'm Kilroy!

Only one thing could cause me to rock out as hard as this: A concert by an 80's band.

Yep, we got to see Styx in concert tonight in Mason.

More on the experience tomorrow, but how about a teaser? So that you at home can, in some small way, experience what it's like to rock out with me, here's some video that Kelly took with our digital camera. Do enjoy.

Oh mama . . .

Where will I be Monday night? Is there any doubt?

FREE STYX CONCERT IN MASON!!!!!

Since I payed three years of income tax in Mason, I guess it's not necessarily free to me but maybe Cincinnati should look into this kinda draw to add some life in town.

Styx makes everything better.

Coincidence?

At the exact time that England lost to Portugal on penalty kicks I looked down to my daughter , who I was holding on my lap, and realized that her diaper had overflowed all over me. A perfect description of their World Cup run.

NACC Part Two [My Thoughts]

So now that I've explained the background of the North American Christian Convention, onto my thoughts about the gathering. So after dropping the girls off in Lexington, I made it to Louisville on Tuesday afternoon, hooked up with a buddy who had a place for me to stay, and headed to the convention center. By the time I left town Thursday, my head was spinning with so many thoughts, I'm not quite sure how to fit it all in. That being said, here's some bullet items of my experience. I apologize about any randomness, but I'm too lazy to be organized now.

• The thing I love about the NACC is seeing people. There's no other chance to see people I've met over the years. From attending CCU, to Kelly working at Standard Publishing [the major publishing arm of our churches], to all the places I've ministered/preached at, it's tough to walk 100 feet without seeing someone you know.

• Here's one story about a person I knew. Jason Bradshaw was this guy who came to CCU to play basketball; he was a bull rider who always had Skoal in his back pocket. After breaking his arm in his first home game, undercut by a defender while trying to dunk, Jason dropped out of CCU and moved back home. We met for the first time in seven years at the convention where he told me he's been a youth minister all these years. He loves God and loves his ministry; it's awesome to see God take people like Jason, who you thought would never dreamed would stick with it, and mold them into pastors who shape lives.

• I also got to have a good conversation with Steve Smith, a worship minister down in Louisville. Ever since we met at CCU, we've always had deep theological [and sarcastic] conversations.

• Plus, I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with Dan and Karen Hamilton. I did my ministry internship with Dan 11 years ago in a small town in central Ohio [I should really write about that summer sometime]. Dan and Karen are some of the best people I've ever met. Their kids were perfect, and I'm pretty sure neither of them have ever been angry.

• Also, it's fun to talk to all the older people at the convention. Too many times we young bucks want to be revolutionary and ultra-relevant, and we neglect the generation who went before us who fought a similar fight. Ben Merold has ministered all over the country and every church he went to has experienced growth. A few years ago he relocated to a small church in Missouri so he could "retire" and the church now runs over 2,000 people. I saw him on the street and thanked him for doing a seminar at my friend Aaron's church and he was very gracious. I hope I can be like him 50 years from now.

• While I do love the old people, I have a small gripe: why can't they figure out how to use cell phones? IN EVERY SESSION I ATTENDED multiple cell phones went off. And all but one time, the phones were wielded by someone born before 1941. I'm just saying, if you can't control your cell phone in a public setting, you shouldn't be allowed to have it. I'm pretty sure they no longer make cell phones without a vibrate mode. And, making a stereotypical judgment here, none of those people were so important that they had to accept the call immediately. But once again, that's for another post.

• I attended a workshop where a guy used Power Point and a laser pointer. Now I have done this myself when showing a map or image, but this guy used it to highlight his bullet points; he would shake his laser pointer over the text that he was reading. It was follow the bouncing ball for snipers. I almost laughed out loud. Did he think we were so dumb that we couldn't follow along with the words on the screen? This was the technological equivalent of someone pointing at the sentences in a book you're reading. Bad form.

• We've reached the point where CDs and DVDs are like business cards: easily dispensable and worthless. Walking through the aisles of displays in the booth hall, I had four different people hand me homemade DVDs that presented their product and ministry. I felt a tad guilty about throwing them away. But the I figured that I didn't ask for any of them, so I shouldn't feel obligated to view them.

• Before I left, I told my wife I was only taking my New Testament Bible. She asked why and I responded, "like anyone there will use the Old Testament." Sadly, I was correct. And more than that, I really only needed the Bible for one sermon. If we're truly a movement based on the Bible, it seems we would open it a bit more.

• Finally, these last two points are not about the convention directly but relate to the urban atmosphere. During the lunch rush, it was impossible to find a place to eat. One afternoon Dale Reeves [friend from Mason, co-worker of Kelly] and I walked a few blocks looking a place to eat. The only empty place was this Lucky Strike restaurant. We think convention goers didn't go in because the sign outside had X's on it; the Christian folks assumed it was a strip club and steered clear. It was actually a restaurant/bowling alley. Pretty cool.

• A constant gripe I hear from suburbanites about Cincinnati is that we have too many panhandlers down here. I saw more in my three days in downtown Louisville than I've seen in Cincinnati this year. I think we're clueless.

All in all, I had a great time and am very glad that I went. In two years, the convention will be here in Cincinnati, so maybe some of you locals will be able to check it out.

But there's one other thing I need to write about that the NACC. So keep looking for part three.

NACC Part One [History]

I will make this as painless as possible, that's all I can promise. But every once in a while I morph into teaching mode, and I have to let it flow. Spending the past few days at our [un]denomination's convention deserves an update, but I have to explain more than my intinerary. So I'm gonna drop a two-parter on you. Part one will deal with the history of our churches. I'm a hack historian, so bear with me. It's hard to conceptualize our convention if you first don't understand why it originally started.

Part two will cover my experiences this past week. So if you're not feeling academic, part two will be for you. You might want to skip this.

Still here? Then here we go . . .

So the church I grew up in is known as the Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ [put that on a business card]. Our movement started in the early 1800's with a group of people not wanting to deal with denominational hierarchy and longing for a return to Biblical authority. Two groups with similar thinking on these issues merged in Lexington, Kentucky to form what would be called the Stone-Campbell Movement [After Barton Stone and Thomas & Alexander Campbell, the leaders of the two streams] or, within or churches, The Restoration Movement. These churches maintained a loose connection, and prospered for almost 100 years.

At the turn of the twentieth century some issues within the Movement began to cause a stir. Some in the Restoration Movement were more dogmatic than others in certain doctrines. They held tightly to the concept that where there Scriptures speak, we should speak, and where they're silent, we should be silent. This faction believed that using musical instruments during worship was not Biblical and refused to use them. Also, some abhorred the concept of newly formed missionary societies- parachurch organizations that acted on behalf of many churches. This too wasn't mentioned in Scripture. While the tremors of this split had more to do with the aftermath of the Civil War, these theological differences are usually blamed for the parting. In 1906, 100 years ago, the US Census first listed the Churches of Christ non-instrumental as a different church than the mainstream Disciples of Christ/Christian Churches. So one movement was now two branches.

It wasn't very long that another issue arrived that would cause dissension. Liberalism encouraged a higher textual criticism that usually resulted in people questioning the validity of the Scriptural story. Incidents from the Bible once accepted as fact could now be called metaphor. Liberalism ended up causing a rift among many denominations, but it split the Disciples/Christian Churches in half. The Disciples of Christ adhered to liberalism, while the Christian Churches maintained a fundamental view point. So one movement was now three branches.

So for those keeping track at home: The ultra-conservative branch is the Churches of Christ non-instrumental. The moderate branch is the independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ The liberal branch is the Disciples of Christ/Christian Church.

Good thing this isn't confusing. Sometimes I wish they would've come up with new names, so they didn't overlap. For instance, I grew up at a Church of Christ [instrumental] that recently purchased the building of a Church of Christ [non-instrumental]. And Echo is a Christian Church [moderate] renting from a Christian Church [liberal]. New names would've been a great help. Why not rename the three branches Larry, Moe, and Curly? Our churches are so Curly. Yet I digress . . .

All these splits required new seminaries and organizations to develop for each group. For instance, Lexington's College of the Bible [now Lexington Theological Seminary] became a Disciples school, so a group of individuals started the Cincinnati Bible Seminary [my alma mater] in 1924. And then in 1927, the independent Christian Churches convened for the first time at, what would be called the North American Christian Convention.

And we still gather almost 80 years later.

This particular convention, since it marks 100 years from the original split of the movement, has focused on reconciliation with the non-instrumental churches. Many of these churches aren't as dogmatic about the instrumental issue which is the main theological barrier between the groups. I'm not sure what the outcome of this week will be, but it is a great opportunity for two groups at odds for a hundred years to gather and worship together.

And as for our convention, it's just a big family reunion. No votes are take, no official policies are discussed. Just Biblical preaching and people who share a common vision.

The independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ: we put the "mental" in instrumental.

I'm So Famous.

Here's my Cin Weekly article.

Lou-uh-vul

I'm heading down to Louisville today for the North American Christian Convention. I'll try to find some wi-fi and see if I can post some observations while I'm there. Something to look for while I'm gone: I have an article that will be published in Cin Weekly tomorrow. Cin Weekly is a free paper geared towards young professionals, and it's available all around town. I wrote a blurb about us doing some "reverse sprawl" and they decided to print it. It should be in the Last Word section, and it should be on their website tomorrow.

So you can now experience my ramblings in print form too.

Regular or Extra Crispy?

All weekend one thought has plagued me. It wasn't how I lost Kaelyn's college fund betting on the Soap Box Derby. Why did I let it ride on the kid on HGH? Seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I'll have to wait for some visionaries to build a nearby casino so I can recoup my losses.

It wasn't David Beckham's gorgeous free kick that put England through to the final eight. I still suspect that, when the movie came out bearing his name, Becks went around asking people, "have you seen 'Bend it like me?'" And his wife would add, "I really, really, really wanna zigagig ha."

And it wasn't how I could've missed the local Pearl Jam concert. When our family went on vacation back in 1993, I grabbed my walk-man for the trip but neglected to bring my case of awesome music along. That left me an entire week to listen to nothing but whatever cassette was in the player. And that, my friends, was Pearl Jam's Ten. By the time we got back, I had that album memorized. Clearly I remember . . . picking on the boy.

No, the question that has kept me up the past few nights is, "What the **** is a huckin' chicken?"

That new Burger King commercial has been driving me crazy. Not the concept of a man in a chicken suit is riding a motorcycle, but what "huckin'" means. All I know is that if I sung that jingle around the house when I was growing up, Mom would've washed my mouth out with soap. On the westside, "huckin'" wasn't followed by "chicken" but by "nuts."

But it took me a mere trip to the land of Google to discover that "huckin'" is a motocross term having to do with "the type of rider that likes to do drops off large things such as: cliffs, roofs, ramps." So apparently this chicken is adventurous and "huckin'" is an insider term to let us know. I thought it was just an effort to make elderly people cuss.

Now we're all the wiser and I can finally get some sleep. But I'm still going to Popeye's when I need some chicken. I don't care how talented that bird is.

No Fear, My Dear

No on-street parking tomorrow or Sunday because of the Soap Box Derby on Gilbert Avenue. Seriously. I'll let you know how it turns out. Roll Tide. So this means I'm forced to park the Explorer on a side street, way out of view. This makes me ultra-paranoid because of the recent break-in. That happened right in front of my house. What's going to happen when it's out of sight on the next street over? No other options to work with here, so I reluctantly move the car.

As I walk away after parking the vehicle, still thinking how it would suck to get another broken window fixed, I see a bumper sticker on the back of some hippie's car that reads . . .

DON'T BE AFRAID

I smile.

World Cup Recap

So I watched the painful US verses Ghana match this morning. I'm sure many of you don't care, but I need to get some stuff off my chest, so here are my thoughts:

• Bruce Arena will be fired. The talent level was too great for the result to be so poor. The Czech Republic actually played worse than US, because they should've won the division. But their misstep gave the team an incredible opportunity. If you had told me before the tournament that the US could go 1-1-1 and advance, I would've bet the house on them doing it. But they failed. Why? The formation they used [4-5-1] never fit the talent they had, the players weren't ready to play the first game, and there was no attacking presence until their last half of play. One goal in three games is sad. Too sad. Too bad for Bruce that had a good run there.

• The masses will want to blame poor officiating for the US's early exit, but this is just an easy excuse. True, many calls went against the Red, White, and Blue that were ridiculous, but if their level of play was at all better, they would be playing in the round of 16.

• Demarcus Beasley was the worst US player this year. Two reasons for this: 1) he found himself on the wrong side of a poor formation and 2) he wasn't as naive as he was in 2002. In Korea, he played all-out, moving like he had icy-hot in his jock strap; he was too dumb to realize how huge the games were. Four years later, he was back down to earth and played with total hesitancy. If you take his assist away [created when Ghana messed up], then he contributed nothing.

• Kasey Keller never had a chance. Too bad the best keeper in US Soccer history hung around for this.

• Claudio Reyna is the Peyton Manning of US Soccer. He has all the tools necessary to perform at the highest level but is unable to convert in the biggest games. This team will look very different in four years, and I think the US Soccer program will be better for it. In 2010 the tournament will be in South Africa and, most likely, the US will play better. Of course, that's in four years, like anyone then will care what I wrote about this now.

• I still have England to win, but it'll be tough without Michael Owen. As I reapproach what I think it will still happen but think Germany is looking more legit every match.

• In case you were wondering about my World Cup picks, with one day of games remaining, the worst I can do is 12 of 16, the best I can do is 14 of 16.

Razor? Only If It's A Phone

Don't ever accuse me of not being honest here at Beit Carr. I allow you insider info about my life that you're not going to get anywhere else. Face it: this is the Entertainment Tonight of what's going on in my life, so you gotta love it. I miss John Tesh. A few weeks ago I was stroking my ever growing soul patch ["your what?"] and decided it was finally time for a change. I lamented my concern about my facial hair a few months ago, whether or not it was still relevant, yet I was still leery of doing anything about it.

Here it is: the stubble beard

I know, I know, I'm about fifteen years too late on this fad. Exhibit A:

"Freedom. I won't let you down."

But, nevertheless, I'm committed. Here's why I'm still going for it:

1) Back when it was cool I was a freshman in high school, unable to grow the necessary hair for the look. Now that I'm able, I'm going to rock it for what it's worth.

2) Now that I've gone for the shaven head look, I can keep my hair will be the same length all the way around my head. Who doesn't like uniformity?

3) The most alluring reason I can find: I'll only have to shave every few days. I've always hated shaving, and now I won't have to. It's incredibly liberating, hence, "Freedom. I won't let you down."

The only time I've ever tried the beard was when I was Jesus in the church Easter Pageant [Haven't heard that one? I'll fill you in later]. It was constantly itchy, but it was a rather thick beard. I think if I maintain the stubble level, I should be just fine.

As a wise man once said, "You put the boom-boom into my heart. You send my soul sky high when your lovin; starts." So let it be written, so let it be done.

***I don't know what this has to do about anything, but here's a link for you.

Keep On The Sunny Side

I love my dad. We've always had a weird relationship, but to this day I look up to him. This afternoon he sent some of his guys over to the Walnut Hills church to wire the electric for the video projectors we're installing. And he donated it, saving Echo a considerable amount of money that can be spent on other projects. I called him up tonight to thank him, and he played it off like it was no big deal. It's humility, and the fact that he's not much of a phone talker. Anyway, one of the traits that I inherited from my father was optimism. My dad is the type of guy who would look at a mountainous pile of manure, grin, then comment, "start digging, there must be a horse in there somewhere." No matter how bleak the situation, my dad will avoid any negative thoughts and press on.

Yet some might say my father is optimistic to a fault. There are times when, after an honest assessment of the situation predicts a grim future, he'll keep a Pollyanna outlook. This perspective can be damaging to the bottom line if your hopeful attitude is wrong.

And I'm just like my dad in this way. I don't want to hear your negativity. Just step back as I get the job done.

That being said, I wonder if I'm reading the renaissance of Cincinnati right. One of the reasons I was insistent on starting the church in the city is that I felt things were about to turn around. Then I read Emily's blog about her sister Melissa's assumed welfare status because she lives here in Walnut Hills, and I also read that Cincinnati's population is in danger of shrinking below an acceptable level, and I wonder if I was right.

***Do me a favor, you who are ready to use the comment option to post your "Cincinnati sucks and will never change" opinion: save it. That'll just piss me off and make me more resolute in carrying on. And I don't need that motivation.

But then I reflect on the night Kelly and I had with our daughter. We put Kaelyn in her stroller, walked over to Eden Park, sat on a blanket by Mirror Lake and read. We thoroughly enjoyed, along with a diverse group of urbanites, a beautiful summer evening. It's times like this that affirm to me that this place is changing.

Then there are the people I meet, new to the city, that love living here. They chose to live here, and make it their home. I might not be able to articulate exactly why I think the city's turning the corner, but I have this sense I have that we're in the midst of something great that's about to happen.

Or maybe it's just my dad's optimism that I just can't shut off. Either way, I don't care. Dad seems to enjoy life well enough.

My Two Kids

Weekend's over, so it's about time a write a post. Had a great first Father's Day Weekend, and I was ready to charge into this week with a fervor, but Kaelyn had other plans. Our Monday together was rather arduous, as she had no interest in doing anything but crying and vomiting. Mostly vomiting. By the time Kelly came home today, my green shirt was tinted in several areas with semi-digested milk. Happy Father's Day indeed. Right now I'm sorta preoccupied with numerous details of the Echo relaunch. Our website is being redesigned [it will look stunning], we're retrofitting the sanctuary at Walnut Hills Christian Church with new sound and video capabilities, and we're praying that our direct mailing will reach people who need to be a part of a community like Echo. I have a countdown on my Mac that informs me we're only 82 days away. I still feel like there's a ton of things to do, none of which are very pastoral.

With all these tasks, it's easy forget that I'm actually a pastor; my main focus is supposed to be on people. I did get to talk to some people this weekend that I've been trying to build relationships with [living here these past ten months is starting to pay off]. And we had a good group of visitors yesterday at church. I had a great week of talking with people about Echo and what we're trying to accomplish. That's why, sometimes, that to-do list ticks me off. I feel like it's pulling me away from my goal.

But then again, I realize that these tasks are all about people. We're trying to create an environment for worship where people can come and encounter God. Without the website and the mailings, people won't know that we exist. Without the audio/visual equipment, people who attend might struggle to see/hear the message. Without the structures in place for volunteers and administration, we won't be able to keep Echo going. In reality, it's all about people. I just get bogged down in the tasks and lose sight of the importance of getting them done.

How 'bout I bring this full circle: I want to raise my daughter to become the most incredible woman of God this world has ever seen. I want to teach and rear her so that she'll make wise decisions and make an impact in this world. It might not seem like it, but cleaning up her spittle actually contributes to that goal. Doing the little things to take care of her contributes to the larger goal. It's tough to remember that, especially when I reek of "eau de lactose," but I'm sure it makes a difference. Just like getting all these pre-re-launch tasks completed.

Plus, and this might sound crazy, but I almost view Echo as a child of mine. I feel like God has made me responsible for it, just like a parent. If I want it to mature into an acceptable representation of the bride of Christ, then I should eat up these little tasks.

While I was writing this, Kaelyn proceeded to throw up all over her freshly changed outfit. I wasn't holding her at the time, so I escaped unscathed. I'm sure there will be time Echo will puke all over me too. I just need to keep a burp cloth nearby to clean up the mess.

And I won't wear dark colors. The stains show up more when I do.

Deep Thoughts Friday

About being a Protestant Christian in Cincinnati: be familiar with what's going on in the Catholic Church. First, let me state that I hate calling myself a Protestant because I'm not currently protesting the Catholic Church; that was the name given to those who split from the Catholic church after Luther's Reformation in the early 1500's. I'd rather be known for what I'm for instead of what I'm against, but I really have no choice. Living in this city demands that I differentiate between my faith and that of practicing Catholics who are now too use the simplistic "Christian" title. So if I tell someone around here that I'm a Christian, they ask, "Protestant or Catholic." So I don't like it, but I accept it because the argument isn't worth it; I've got bigger fish to fry.

Now that I have that out of the way, let me get to what I wanted to deal with.

One of the things I appreciate about being a Protestant, and more specifically a non-denominational Protestant, is that I don't have to fear a decision coming down from above that will rock my theological world.

Quick non-Catholic example of this: this past week was the Southern Baptist Convention, where they vote on a bunch of junk for the next year. Apparently they had their own "hanging chad" controversy where a Vice President lost an election he should've won. I find this laughable. I'm sure God would've preferred electronic voting machines, or casting lots, or something like that.

But back to the Catholic Church. Yesterday in Los Angeles, America's bishops voted to revise the English translation of mass that our country's Catholic churches use. While some people think the change is miniscule, others contend that the new change is earth shattering. The LA Times describes possible changes:

"For instance, at present, when the priest says, 'The Lord be with you,' the congregation responds, 'And also with you.' Under the new translation, the response will be, 'And also with your spirit.'"

An important distinction there, huh?

This move by the bishops was made in order to adhere to new Vatican rules "designed to make liturgy more accurately reflect the original Latin of the Roman Missal." The focus is on making worldwide masses as identical as possible. But what it's really going to do is confuse people who, throughout their entire lives, were told that the old liturgy was God-ordained. And the last thing the Catholic Church needs right now is additional confusion among its followers. In my humble, non-Catholic opinion, it's not a good move.

Even though I appreciate the deep history of the Catholic Church, I find my contentment in Sola Scriptura [the rule of "Scripture alone"]. True, it's not as cut and dry as liturgy, and it requires sound interpretation and more involved pastoral leadership, but that's what the Holy Spirit is for [guidance from God in our efforts]. Also, we can still use any liturgical elements/readings we find relevant while not being chained to those parts we care to ignore.

I guess what I'm saying is it's unfortunate that so many people feel chained to a system that is extra-Biblical. It's the same environment that Jesus came to destroy.

One local Catholic bookstore owner, when asked about the confusion the liturgical changes will being, offered, "If we trip over our words, I'm sure God will understand as we try to muddle through somehow."

I think He will.